Connectivity Problems
by Velocitic-Heights
Summary: Kaneki gets himself a Virtual Reality Console. It's more trouble than it's worth.
1. Welcome to Gaiasphere!

"I still can't believe you went out and bought this thing just because the girl you're crushing on has one."

"It's not like I got it just for that, Hide!" Kaneki sputtered. "I've got plenty of reasons, like how it improves your sleep, and improves reflexes and memory, and…"

"Like that matters! You just went out and bought a VR console," Hide continued, "Which is crazy expensive, I don't know how you could afford it, because you want to impress a girl you've never talked to."

"When you put it that way…" Kaneki mumbled.

"Man, I feel lame. I've been telling you to get one for ages! Do you listen? No. But then you go get one at the drop of a hat. I've never even met this chick!" Hide said, gesturing wildly. "I see how it is. You'd ditch your childhood friend for a girl!"

"Hide!" Kaneki hissed. "Keep it down! You're bothering other people!"

"Fine, fine, you party pooper. I've got to go to work now, but make sure you friend me on Gaiasphere! Shoot me a PM while you're at it."

Kaneki waved before turning around. Sighing, he hefted his newest purchase: a brand new Virtual Reality Console.

The Virtual Reality Console, more commonly known as the VRC, was the newest in virtual reality technology. It was a headset, meant to be worn when asleep, and boasted the fastest, most seamless transition from sleep to virtual reality, and maintained the strongest connection. As a result, it was head-and-shoulders above the next leading console, and cost much, _much_ more.

Because of his limited budget, Kaneki had put off buying it for a while, in spite of Hide's constant pleading. Though he could have used his savings, he had been torn, and the fact that Rize had one was the concluding factor.

Rize Kamishiro. A patron of the same book store as Kaneki, and a few years older than him. Kaneki had only known her name for a few weeks, when he had overheard her conversation with a friend. Kaneki grimaced. If Hide had known that Kaneki had 'overheard' her, he'd never hear the end of it. She was certainly very beautiful, but that wasn't why Kaneki felt drawn to her. When he'd first seen her, she was reading the same book as him. Not only that, but she'd looked up and met his gaze. Then she _smiled_.

Even now, Kaneki felt a burst of warmth when he thought of her smile. She could have averted her gaze, she could have looked disgusted, but she had _smiled_. Maybe he was overreacting. After all, she was the first girl who had looked at him in that way since… well, ever. But Kaneki was sure. Even after their first encounter, Rize had remained as lovely as she'd seemed when Kaneki first saw her; her smile had remained as radiant as ever.

So, when he had heard that she played Gaiasphere, Kaneki jumped at the opportunity to have something in common, even if he might never see her in-game. So, he went to the store immediately and got the newest model of the VRC.

Now that the result of his impulsive decision was in his hands, Kaneki began to berate himself – after all, there was no guarantee that buying such an expensive console would help him at _all_ with his love life. He seldom played games, and how was he going to impress a girl by playing one? The receipt, taped neatly onto the box, crinkled as he shifted. He tamped down on his sudden desire to just go back and return the damn thing.

But... there was still a chance- a miniscule chance, sure- that he might see Rize in-game! Kaneki ignored the little voice in his head that told him he was such a sucker. (It sounded suspiciously like Hide.) Nodding decisively, he opened the door to his apartment and stepped in, toeing off his shoes.

The store attendant had recommended that Kaneki test the VRC, so that if there were any problems, he could bring it in for exchange as soon as possible. But it was four in the afternoon, and Kaneki doubted that setup would take all that long. He hummed. Maybe he could take an afternoon nap, and wake up in time for dinner.

His phone suddenly rang, and Kaneki reached for it, setting the VRC aside.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Kaneki."

"Aren't you supposed to be at work, Hide?" Kaneki asked, surprised.

"I'm on break. When are you planning to play Gaiasphere?"

"I hadn't decided, why?"

"Why don't you amuse yourself for an hour or so before starting? I'll be done work by then, I'll even spare time from my busy, busy schedule to show you the ropes."

"Uh, sure. I need to charge the VRC first anyway."

"Sweet. Later." Hide hung up as abruptly as he had called. Kaneki huffed, knowing that if anyone else had done that, Kaneki would, at the very least, be miffed. Hide meant well, though, so Kaneki couldn't bring himself to be angry. In fact, what he was feeling was dangerously akin to fondness.

Putting his phone aside, Kaneki carefully opened the box and lifted out the headset, setting it _gently_ on the bed. He plugged it in and made sure it was in no danger of falling. This was by far the most expensive item he had ever bought, and the warranty didn't extend to ordinary accidents or everyday wear and tear. If he dropped it, he'd be forking over a ludicrous amount of money just to get it _looked at._

He flipped open the booklet that rested at the bottom of the box, labelled 'Safety Instructions.' The first page had a disclaimer, followed by a chapter on the basic mechanics of the VRC, basically a reassurance to customers that the device was harmless. Kaneki skimmed the next chapter on safety restrictions, and easy instructions on how to operate the VRC.

In the manual, there were a few games recommended for VRC, with encouragement to at least try every game. Clearly, those games lacked the huge fanbase of Gaiasphere, and needed advertisements. Kaneki was surprised that there were other games on the VRC; most people bought it simply to play Gaiasphere, himself included. Kaneki was also surprised that those games would be included in the _safety manual_. Maybe the company didn't want to print another booklet?

There seemed to be mostly MMORPGs available. That was the original purpose of the VRC, after all: to create an immersive environment in which users could interact with, while providing sensory data.

There was, of course, Gaiasphere, the top VRMMORPG worldwide, boasting millions of players. It was the typical fantasy RPG, but with an incredible capacity for growth. Players could build cities and towns, create guilds, make friends, and even get married. Obviously, the marriages were only in-game. Hide had begun playing a few months ago, and immediately began pestering Kaneki to play. He was a level thirty… something or other, Kaneki couldn't remember. Apparently his class was 'the awesomest, ever!' and he demanded that Kaneki be there to watch his awesomeness in action. Kaneki was indulging him, though he was pretty sure Hide was exaggerating.

Call To Arms was a combat game that had a variety of modes: PvP, zombie mode, campaign… the list went on. Kaneki had seen the promotion videos, and from what he'd seen, it was incredibly gory and involved lots of blood. Not really his thing.

There was also Gates of Heaven, a creative building simulation, where players could build whatever they wanted, though the world had an imitation of real world physics. It was also popular, and had a fast-growing community. Rumour had it that the developers were going to include animals and the possibility for domestication in the next update.

Aside from those three, the other games weren't interesting. Kaneki didn't really feel like reading their summaries, because they seemed boring, yes, but mostly because the VRC had just beeped, signalling full battery charge.

Glancing at the clock, he was surprised that an hour passed so quickly. He unplugged the headset from the wall. Taking a deep breath, he input two hours into the alarm and carefully placed it over his head. He lay down and groped around for the switch. His fingers shook, and just barely found the slightly raised power button. Kaneki fumbled his first two tries, and swallowed before pressing firmly on the button.

Kaneki opened his eyes, and was struck by the dizzying feeling of being in two places at once: lying on his bed, and standing in a large, empty room. The feeling lingered for only a second, leaving him alone in the ornate room. It seemed to be empty.

"Are you a new player for Gaiasphere?" a voice said from behind him. Kaneki jumped, turning around slowly.

"Are you a new player for Gaiasphere?" the voice repeated impatiently. "Or are you a returning player?" Kaneki followed the voice, looking down to find... a rabbit.

A pink, very fluffy rabbit, that was tapping its foot as it pinned Kaneki with the most withering glare he'd ever received.

"We don't have all day, you know. So if you'd kindly answer me instead of gaping at me, I'd appreciate it."

Kaneki snapped back to attention. "Um, I'm a new player," he said, nervously. The rabbit was still glaring at him.

"Obviously. Please state your customer identification number. It's so that we may identify you."

"86547H3T."

"Welcome, Kaneki," The rabbit said, its tone brisk. "Did someone refer you to this game?"

"Yeah, his username is Naga, I think."

An avatar appeared next to the rabbit. "Is this the person you are referring to?"

Kaneki glanced at the character briefly. "Yes." It was definitely Hide, with… silver hair? He wasn't going to question it.

"Alright, we'll begin avatar creation. Please choose a race."

"A race?"

"Gaiasphere offers several different races users may choose from. Each race has different characteristics that may benefit a certain class. Races include humans, dwarves, elves, pixies, and many more. There are also many human-animal hybrids."

"Can you explain the class system?"

"At the beginning of the game, you will be able to choose your class by registering at the beginner training area. You may also obtain a secondary class after finishing the quest line, 'An Innate Ability,' which is unlocked at level 32."

"Do the races have different appearances?"

"Yes. Stats also vary by race."

"What about professions?"

"Professions may be obtained after completing the tutorial quests. They include cooking, smithing, crafting, alchemy… Need I go on?

"That's enough, thank you. Just let me think for a minute." Kaneki said, mulling over all the different races. Sure, there was something thrilling about being a nimble elf, or a fierce hybrid, but Kaneki secretly felt that he definitely wouldn't be comfortable in such a different body. He had just barely begun to feel comfortable in his own skin, after eighteen years of living in it. Wouldn't having to switch bodies all the time be disorientating?

"Have you come to a decision?" The rabbit said, beginning to tap its foot again.

"Can I modify my appearance as a human?" Kaneki asked, unsure.

"You may modify your height by 10 centimetres, your hair length and color, your eye colour, and your skin colour."

"Can I change my appearance in-game?"

"There are avatar changing items available for purchase, though those are limited to hair dyes and eye colour changes."

"Can I see a human avatar, five centimetres taller?" Kaneki requested, curious to see the results.

Next to the rabbit, an exact copy of Kaneki shimmered into existence. Then it grew slightly taller, still identical to him except for the height difference.

"I don't know, can you give him white hair or red eyes or something?" he joked, trying to get the rabbit to stop tapping its foot.

The rabbit didn't stop beating a cadence into the floor, but that avatar's hair and eye colour shifted. Kaneki looked at it, and felt a pang of something unidentifiable in his chest. This version of him made him feel distinctly uncomfortable, and a little… sad? Why did he feel sad all of a sudden? The avatar continued to stare lifelessly forward, oblivious to Kaneki's turmoil.

"I was joking!" Kaneki said quickly, feeling relief as the familiar dark hue of his hair returned. "I'll take the human avatar."

The bunny nodded. "Please choose a username."

Kaneki considered this. He wanted to get something cool, but also part of his interests. "Kafka?" he mused aloud, remembering the debut novel of his favourite author, Sen Takatsuki.

"Accepted. Registering customer 86547H3T as Kafka," the rabbit drawled. "Enjoy Gaiasphere."

"Wait, I still-" Kaneki began, before the floor dropped away from his feet.

[Lv. 1 Kafka has joined Channel 20!]

* * *

So, this is my first fanfiction. This might not be the most original idea, but I hope you do comment. Please. Reviews would be awesome.


	2. A Teacher and a Friend

"I still have questions to ask…" Kaneki trailed off, hand outstretched uselessly, before tipping over.

He hit the ground painfully, as expected. Groaning, he rolled into his back, shading his eyes from the bright sunlight. He was laying on… a field of grass? Kaneki yanked some blades of grass out of the ground, squinting at it suspiciously. It looked normal enough. Certainly not the man-eating plants Hide said there would be, but he suspected Hide was just pulling his leg. Again.

Kaneki pushed himself up to a sitting position, surveying his surroundings. He was in some sort of clearing, surrounded by trees. The scenery almost seemed to give off a cheerful vibe, a welcoming atmosphere. There were even birds chirping cheerfully in the background.

"Welcome to Gaiasphere!" a voice exclaimed loudly from behind Kaneki.

Kaneki then attempted to whirl around, completely forgetting he was sitting down, and ended up in a heap of limbs. There was a pregnant pause, before the clearing was flooded with the sound of giggles.

Kaneki's shoulder slumped. What was wrong with the people in Gaiasphere? They needed to _stop sneaking up like goddamn ninjas on innocent, unsuspecting players_. He untangled himself and glared balefully in the vague direction of the culprit.

Said culprit was doubled over in laughter, giggling uncontrollably. Upon closer inspection, it was a pixie girl, about thirteen years old.

"I'm so glad my pain is amusing to you," Kaneki said dryly, scrambling to his feet. He dusted himself off, huffing in mock anger.

"I'm sorry!" She huffed, reigning in her giggles. "It's, it's just that I've never seen anyone who managed to startle that badly! Um, let's start over. I'm Clover, your guide player."

"I'm Kan- I mean, Kafka," Kaneki corrected awkwardly. "Nice to meet you. What do you mean by guide player?"

"From your customer record, it doesn't seem as if you've played many games before, so I was assigned to help you with your tutorial quests. It's fine if you don't want help!" She added quickly. "I just thought, maybe you would have a little trouble, so I wanted to help out."

"No, no, I'd love the help!" Kaneki said. "I really have no idea what to do."

"I think we should start a party, just so we can keep track of each other," Clover suggested, fingers fidgeting on her clover-patterned dress. She ducked her head shyly.

"Good idea," Kaneki began, "Except I don't know how."

"Oh, just say 'menu' and it'll pop up. You can also set a unique gesture later on, but it's personal preference."

"Menu," Kaneki muttered. With a soft ping, the menu popped up. He poked at it cautiously, and it smoothly transitioned to the party window. Tapping 'Make Party', he glanced over at Clover. She seemed to be psyching herself up, whispering and nodding to herself. She noticed his gaze and stiffened, turning pink.

"S-so! Have you figured it out?" Her words came out slightly stilted. Kaneki resisted the urge to reach out and ruffle her hair.

"Yes, just send a request to you, right?"

Accepting his request, she turned and beamed at him. "You're picking this up really quickly! Good job!"

This time, Kaneki couldn't resist the urge to pat her on the head. He smiled kindly and said, "It's because I have a good teacher! I'm glad you helped me."

She blinked at him in surprise. Finally, she released her nervous grip on the hem of her dress, and cautiously grabbed his hand. "We should start heading over to the first town! It's this way."

Kaneki, letting Clover tug him onto the path, vaguely felt like he was forgetting something. He shrugged, guessing it wasn't too important.

Kaneki glanced around, taking in the scenery. He could see small paths branching off from the main road, some small, and some large. Only a few appeared on his map, though. Those roads tended to have signposts accompanying them, so perhaps they led to dungeons?

Closing his map, Kaneki once again marvelled at the realism Gaiasphere projected. The air was fresh, and the breeze even carried different scents. If he listened carefully, he could make out the excited voices of other players. The animals had their own subroutines, and all the sensory input he received, though artificial, had yet to clash with 'real life' information.

The environment was impressive, but more impressive was the player characters. When Kaneki had ruffled Clover's hair, what he felt was not only the expected fine strands under his fingers, but also the warmth of her body, and the minute, natural movements that constantly accompanied the body. Instead of leaving the sensation at just the basics, the developers of Gaiasphere were careful to include anything and everything a person might experience. Kaneki could see why Gaiasphere was such a popular game, now.

Kaneki snapped out of his musings as they arrived at a quiet-looking village. The players that were milling about didn't have fancy equipment or gear, so Kaneki guessed that this was a low-level area. He stepped through the gates, and immediately was confronted with a message.

[You have entered Reedtown! _Recommended level: 1-10_]

"Does this happen every time?" Kaneki asked, closing the window.

"Hm? Oh, your 'entering town' message? It only pops up the first time you enter an area." Clover seemed distracted, glancing over her shoulder.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing really! It's just that pixies and other fairy classes have higher vigilance than humans, and combined with my class, I get a little jumpy sometimes. It's the strangest thing, but I feel like something's about to happen."

"Wh-" Kaneki was cut off by a body ramming into him, knocking him over. Over Clover's shout of surprise, he heard a more familiar voice.

"Hey! Ka…Oh wait, what's your username? Whatever, I was trying to make a point. Hey! What took your lazy ass so long? Do you know how long I had to stand there, alone? Standing alone looks stupid! Think more about others, you good-for-nothing!"

"Naga," Kaneki cringed because that sounded _weird, _calling Hide by such an odd name_,_ "You're sitting on me."

"So I am!" Hide leapt up nimbly. He offered his hand, which Kaneki took gladly. Seriously, twenty minutes into the game, and he's fallen over twice.

"Are you two… acquainted?" Clover cut in, looking quizzically between the two.

"Yeah," Kaneki affirmed. "Um, it looks like he wants to talk to me for a bit, so would you be fine with waiting a while?"

"Okay, I'll wander around town. When you're done, just send me a PM." Clover waved, heading towards a nearby shop.

Hide elbowed him. "Are you a human?"

Kaneki turned to Hide, confused. "Yes? Is this a trick question?"

"Of all the different things you could be! You stick with human? I am so disappointed," Hide said, shaking his head.

"At least I don't have cat ears on my head."

"How dare you! I'll have you know that I'm a caipora!"

"You say that like I know what that means," Kaneki quipped.

"_Obviously,_ a fox-human hybrid. Tsk, tsk. What would you do without me?" Hide gestured expansively. "Oh wait, I still don't know your username."

"It's Kafka."

Hide gaped, before erupting into uproarious laughter. "Oh my god, you nerd, you named your avatar after that what's-his-face author's book?"

"Hey, your name is a fictional creature that isn't related to your avatar's race at all. I think I win the name game." Kaneki crossed his arms, raising his eyebrows.

"… Quiet, you."

Hide paused, seemingly messing around with his game menu. Kaneki still thought that looked weird. Poking at an intangible object was just…bizarre. Voice activated commands, party systems, what else did Gaiasphere have?

A system message appeared in front of Kaneki, startling him. He managed not to jump and peered at the display.

[Naga has sent you a friend request!]

[ Accept / Decline]

Kaneki tapped accept, smiling faintly at the triumphant music that played briefly.

"Okay, so now that we're friends, I'll go hang out elsewhere while you finish your tutorial quests. Try not to miss me too much!"

"… See you later."

Scanning the building around him, Kaneki looked for Clover. Didn't she go into that shop…? No? How about this one?

After affirming that Clover was not in any of the nearby shops, he sat down at the most distinctive feature he could see: the town's well. Sitting well away from the crafty vendors weaselling new players out of their money, Kaneki turned his attention to his game menu. Private message, private message, where was the PM menu? When he finally found the menu, he composed a quick message to Clover.

[From: Kafka]

[To: Clover]

[Subject: I'm ready to go]

[Sorry for making you wait! I didn't expect my friend to be here. I'll come to where you are, or maybe you should come to where I am. I'd probably get lost. I'm at the town's main well right now.]

As he clicked send, an amusing little animation popped up, of a little paper airplane flying into a mailbox. It was… surprisingly cute, and didn't really match the rest of the game interface's sleek design.

Kaneki idly began messing with his inventory. As far as he could tell, to equip armour, he just…tapped on equip? It seemed like the armour would swap out with whatever previous armour he had. Kind of weird, in his opinion. At least he wouldn't have to make a fool of himself with the more complicated-looking armours.

"Hi!" Kaneki looked up, spotting Clover making her way over, waving.

"… I just realized I forgot to tell you about the party chat!" Clover shook her head. "So basically you can talk to your party members privately. The option's in the party menu. Sorry."

"It's fine," Kaneki reassured, "Now I know where the PM menu is."

"Oh, right, menus." Clover sat down beside him. "Have you seen your stats yet? It's going to be very important during your time playing Gaiasphere."

Obligingly, Kaneki opened the character stats window.

Lv. 1 Kafka

No Title

[RACE] Human

[CLASS] None

[PROFESSION] None

[STR] 10

[DEX] 10

[INT] 10

[LUK] 10

[VIT] 10

[AGI] 10

[WIS] 10

"Is there a reason why my stats are all the same?" Kaneki asked.

"Your race is human, right? Humans are chosen because of adaptability. They can pretty much be any class they want, if they work on their stats a bit," Clover explained.

"What class are you?"

"Oh, I might as well show you my stats window. Then you can see stat builds and other stuff at the same time."

"Couldn't I just select you in the character menu to see your stats?"

"The character selection window only shows you stuff like my level, fame, and general things like that. Also, it's really, really rude to look at someone else's window without permission! You have to remember that!" Clover pretended to shake her fist at Kaneki, laughing quietly. Kaneki laughed along, noting that rule. After all, it wouldn't do to be rude. Even accidently. And Kaneki was pretty sure that he'd probably be beaten up, knowing this type of game.

Quickly, Clover brought up her stats window and motioned Kaneki over. He shifted closer, glancing over her shoulder.

Lv. 19 Clover

Good Samaritan

[RACE]Pixie

[CLASS] Shaman

[PROFESSION] Crafter Lv. 3

[STR] 12 (9 + 3)

[DEX] 28 (15 + 13)

[INT] 46 (31 + 15)

[LUK] 30 (23 + 7)

[VIT] 20 (14 + 6)

[AGI] 20 (10 + 10)

[WIS] 35 (20 + 15)

"A shaman? What's that?"

"Oh, the game lore is that a shaman is a person highly attuned to Gaia. We can sense danger and in higher levels, shamans can cast really strong spells. We don't have a lot of physical attack power, but we work well in a party. We can cast a lot of buffs, and we do a lot of support! So don't underestimate me!" Clover puffed her cheeks out, looking as if this was something she'd said many times. Kaneki laughed and ruffled her hair.

"I won't! I'm glad to have you protecting me."

Clover looked surprised, before smiling back.

"We should probably start you on your first quest. When do you log out?"

Kaneki checked the time. "Just under an hour and a half. I was planning to just start the game before dinner, then log on again when I slept."

"That gives us plenty of time to finish the first few quests! So, do you see how some of the NPCs seem to stand out a little more than the others?"

Kaneki looked in the direction she was pointing in. Some of the NPCs seemed to be doing simple, mundane things, but there was one that seemed more… in the forefront of things, rather than a background character. He nodded, and said, "That one by the armour shop seems like he's expecting someone. Is he one of the quest NPCs?"

"That's right! You might have to pick through a few dialogue options, but why don't you try asking him for a quest? I'll stay here, so if you need help, just call me over."

Kaneki walked over to the NPC in question, catching his attention.

"Hello! Are you new in town?" The NPC asked, smiling warmly.

"Ah, yes. My name is Kafka." Kaneki replied, only stumbling slightly over his name.

"Welcome, Kafka! I'm Bruno," The NPC continued. "I'm always happy to meet new travelers, and give them a few pointers."

"It's nice to meet you, Bruno. I'm definitely a new traveler, and also in need of a little help," Kaneki confessed.

"Oh, it's fine, we all start somewhere. In fact, here, have a few free potions!... Is what I'd like to say, but all mine got stolen by some animal…" Bruno trailed off, furtively glancing around, before leaning closer. "I think… it was that woman's cat. I've hated that cat since day one. It drives me crazy! It knocks over my stuff, steals my lunch, and now, it's stolen my potions. That's the last straw!"

Kaneki nodded sympathetically, looking at the cat. "How about… I get those potions back for you? I'll… spray the cat with water, or something. It'd teach the cat a lesson, and you'd get your potions back."

Bruno looked delighted. "You would do that for me? Thank you! I'll give you some of my potions as a reward, for your trouble."

[You have received the quest: Get My Potions Back!]

[NPC: Bruno]

[Reward: 10 Basic Health Potions, 10 Basic Mana Potions, 200 EXP]

[ Accept / Decline]

With a sense of accomplishment, Kaneki tapped accept.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who left a review! I'm afraid I'm a rather slow writer... I hope you'll stick around, though!


	3. Not A Cat Person

Never, never again would Kaneki underestimate a cat.

"Ah!" Kaneki yelped, snatching back his hand. He stared at his hand incredulously, watching the red claw marks slowly disappear. As the last of the blemishes vanished, he glanced up at the offender.

The cat, smugly licking a paw, simply flicked its tail and hissed, before disappearing into an alleyway.

Kaneki made a half-hearted attempt to follow it before sinking to the ground. He groaned, dropping his face in his hands. How hard was it to catch a single cat!?

Through his fingers, Kaneki peered blearily at the ground. A set of feet stopped in front of him. Kaneki looked up at Clover's offered hand and gratefully took it, pulling himself up.

"No luck?" Clover asked, smiling sympathetically.

"None." Kaneki swiped a hand tiredly over his eyes. This quest had sounded so _easy._ Find cat, find cat's stash, retrieve potions, teach the cat a lesson. Simple, right?

Wrong. What that outline didn't include was that the cat was a _goddamn demon._ Kaneki was convinced. No domesticated pet could be so evil, so cunning, so malevolent..! Kaneki had taken _damage_ from it, dammit. He didn't even _know_ he could take damage in towns.

"I could help you befriend that cat," Clover began, before Kaneki cut her off.

"Thank you for offering, Clover, really. It's just, I feel like I need to play this game without cheating. I want to play this game like it's meant to be played."

Clover looked surprised, before her face softened into a smile. "If that's how you feel, I can't really stop you, huh?" She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'll be cheering for you!"

Kaneki squeezed back, before letting go. "Thanks for understanding. Now, if I want to complete this quest before I wake up, I better get going."

"Good luck!"

Kaneki jogged down a random street, keeping an eye out for the wicked feline. The path was dotted with NPCs going about their business, and a few players chatting. It was a peaceful part of the town.

That's what made what Kaneki overheard all the more shocking.

"Hey, have you heard?"

Kaneki glanced in the direction of the voice. Two players were sitting on a bench in front of a shop. They were girls, roughly Kaneki's age, and talking in hushed tones.

"There's a PK on the loose! Isn't that scary?" The first girl continued, leaning in towards her friend. "I heard they've been going around Metropolis, killing players and robbing them blind. You'd just be walking around, and BAM!" She brought her palms together loudly, making her friend jump. "You're dead."

"First of all, don't talk about these kinds of things so light-heartedly," Her friend began, hitting her lightly upside the head. "Second, so what? PKs are nothing special, especially in big cities like Metropolis."

"They say there's something fishy about this one. There's not even a screenshot of them yet! Even the Wardens have nothing on them."

Kaneki, aware that he had stopped completely in his tracks and was eavesdropping (and not very subtly), picked up his pace. So even in Gaiasphere, there were rule breakers and crooks. Crime wasn't so easily erased, he supposed.

Stopping by a small fountain, he splashed some water on his face, and stared into his reflection. Would he be targeted by those people? He knew he looked gullible and naïve, courtesy of the last remnants of baby fat on his face. And in Gaiasphere, he didn't know anything, so it was a very real possibility that he would be deceived.

He was letting out a sigh when a hard shove from behind ruined his moment, and because his day was going _so_ well already, plunged him headfirst into the fountain. It wasn't a very big fountain, but his head and shoulders were soaked nevertheless.

He scrambled up, an indignant retort on his lips. "Hey-"his voice tapered off as he made eye contact with the culprit.

It was a teenage girl, and by the looks of her equipment, way higher level than he was. She was shorter than he was, but her long rabbit ears and thick soled boots more than made up for it.

She looked up disinterestedly in him, and muttered a quick apology under her breath before turning away.

Watching her walk away, Kaneki wondered what she was doing here. Wasn't this a town for people whose levels were in the single digits? It wasn't really his business, though. He was supposed to be catching a cat, not speculating on strangers' motives.

If only there was a map to help him track the cat, Kaneki mused. Or maybe some kind of item he could use? Anything to help him find the cat without having to traipse all over town.

Maybe, if he could lure the cat towards him, he could trap it… but how would he even find the potions? For that matter, if he did find the cat, he would have get it to go to its hiding place and follow it, without losing track of it. This would've been easier it the cat at least tolerated him. Instead, it was hate at first sight.

He suddenly caught a quick movement out the corner of his eye. "Speak of the devil," he said, facing down the very cat he hadn't wanted to see. He got ready for another round of clawing and hissing, but to his surprise, the cat simply disappeared around the corner, into the alleyway.

Kaneki was so dumbfounded at the lack of vehemence the cat displayed that he forgot to give chase. When he finally realized that it was getting away, and he was supposed to chase it, the cat had run halfway down the alley and was on top of a roof. How the cat had gotten up there, Kaneki had no idea, but he followed as best as he could on the street, occasionally stumbling over uneven cobblestone and nearly running into signs.

He followed it down side streets, through main roads filled with people (he was sorry for barrelling over that girl, he really was, but he needed to finish this quest, it was a matter of pride now), before the cat finally dove into what looked like a shed.

Kaneki realized that this shed was not even fifty metres from Bruce, the starting NPC.

Kaneki had run all over town trying to catch this stupid devilbeast, and he was tired, and he was _extremely_ annoyed. He flung open the shed door, and there the pilfered potions sat, innocuously left in a clump of hay. Kaneki stuffed the potions into his inventory, and slowly approached the cat.

To the cat's credit, it didn't seem fazed at all, even when faced with Kaneki's best glare, which, admittedly, wasn't very scary.

Kaneki, reached a hand, and flicked its forehead, then ran for his life out of the shed, and hopefully out of range of attacks. Of course, karma was a bitch.

Kaneki slipped and fell, about three metres away from Bruce (the finish line!) and the cat, full of righteous vengeance, caught up. Kaneki watched his life flash before his eyes. It pounced-

"Gotcha!"

Kaneki had never been so happy to see a person in his life as he was to see Clover, with the beast safely contained in her arms.

He got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Thanks for the save."

"No problem!" Clover smiled, returning to petting the cat. Of course, it purred and burrowed into _her_ arms.

"Bruce!" Kaneki called. "I got your potions back." He pulled them out of his inventory, handing them to him.

"Oh, Kaneki! You got the potions back! As promised, here's your reward." Bruce handed over the potions.

[You have completed the quest: Get My Potions Back!]

[NPC: Bruno]

[You have received: 10 Basic Health Potions, 10 Basic Mana Potions, 200 EXP]

[Achievement complete!]

[You have completed your first quest! May this be the first of many.]

[Reward: 100 EXP]

"Thanks! If you ever see me around town, feel free to say hi!" Bruce waved, beaming at Kaneki. His grin was kind of… unnerving. He was _way_ too happy. Kaneki weakly waved back, awkwardly smiling back… especially when Bruce didn't stop.

Clover tapped him on the shoulder, the demonic feline still snuggled in her arm. "You have to look away before they change gestures. It's one of the little glitches they still have to fix. "

Kaneki obligingly looked away. Sure enough, Bruce was back to his normal, non-unnerving neutral expression. "Yeah… are they going to patch that soon?" he asked. "How well does the maintenance team respond to complaints, anyway?"

Tapping her lips with a finger, Clover scrunched up her face in thought. "It really depends. I think they've mainly been busy with all the PKs lately. Oh, and the hackers."

"Hackers?"

"Yeah, apparently there're some players with hacked skins. They also give themselves illegal buffs, I think." Clover explained. "There's not much known about them, 'cause they're good at hiding, especially because they're nothing really distinguishing about them. I heard they get EXP from killing other players, too!"

Kaneki frowned. "Is that not normal?"

"Yeah, it's actually really strange. No one really knows why. You see, usually you would lose fame, which gives you some EXP boosts. If it's negative, you get a debuff. It's to discourage people from killing each other."

"Huh. What about PVP duels and stuff?" Kaneki wondered. After all, why would a game actively discourage its players from using a feature that no doubt took a good amount of time to program?

"Duels are okay. You lose a bit of EXP when you die, but nothing like if you were killed." Clover gave the cat one last pat, and set it down gently. It scampered off with a loving purr for Clover and a half-hearted hiss at Kaneki. "Well, how long do you have left?" Clover asked, straightening up.

Bringing up his alarm screen, Kaneki was surprised to see that he had only a little under an hour left. That stupid cat had taken up half an hour! "I only have about an hour left," he dutifully informed Clover.

"Huh, I don't think you want to do anymore quests," Clover teased. "Hm, I was going to introduce you to one of my guildmates, but it seems like she got bored and left town. I was going to get her to teach you how to fight…"

"Can I even fight right now..? I don't have a class yet."

"You can use basic attacks, but no skills! Which is a shame, because that's what really makes the game fun. Actually, have you even seen your skills yet?"

"I have skills already?" Kaneki hadn't even considered that. He'd just assumed that skills came with classes… though it would make sense that he'd get some passives with his race. With some difficulty (Clover hid a smile behind her hand), he managed to pull up the skills window. It wasn't his fault that the skills icon was right next to the options menu, okay?

Lv. 1 Kafka [Class Not Chosen]

ACTIVE

-none-

PASSIVE

Determination (LV 1) – Mankind's resilience shaped history. You've always climbed back up after a fall. Upon resurrection, loss of EXP is decreased. (up to 5%)

Your Own Path (LV MAX) – Be who you want to be! [CLASS] experience boost +10%.

"It says here I have a skill called 'Determination' and one called 'Your Own Path'." Kaneki read. "Sounds like it's because of my race."

"Yup, I'm pretty sure those are the human passives. Anyway, we should probably get started on your class quests. They can be pretty lengthy, 'cause they're tutorials. Which class do you want to pick, anyway?"

Kaneki pondered the question. Honestly, he hadn't really put much thought into this beyond: A) It seemed like a pretty cool game, and B) Rize played it. Also, C) Hide would pester him to death if he hadn't gotten it. Even if he didn't ever see Rize - and it was plausible, Gaiasphere was a huge game- Kaneki thought he would really enjoy it. So the vital question: which class should he pick?

There were only a few base classes, if he remembered correctly. Mage, warrior, rogue, healer… were those it? Those were the main ones, anyway. He remembered something about specializations and subclasses, but the main issue here was which base class to pick.

Seeing the puzzled expression on his face, Clover took pity on Kaneki. "You know, there's more info on it in the Barracks. It's where you have to go to register, anyway. Want to go?"

"Please." Kaneki began following Clover, as she began picking her way through the small alleyways, grasping his hand as she led Kaneki through what she assured him was a shortcut. She kept up a quiet commentary about the lore in the game, and Kaneki was fascinated with the amount of storytelling. It seemed like Gaiasphere wasn't rated #1 MMORPG for no reason.

"That's the story behind the Aogiri Tree! There's a guild named after it, I think – We're here!"

Kaneki gazed up at the imposing building nervously. It was certainly… grandiose. Not to mention intimidating. With its colourful banners flapping slightly in the wind, and the flawless marble pillars, the Barracks was every bit as bold as it looked in screenshots.

Clover was already tugging him to the doors. Kaneki took a deep breath, and with no small amount of trepidation, stepped in.

* * *

Um, hi. I don't know if anyone is still reading this... but yeah. Here's your chapter... a year late.


	4. (Temporarily) Free Information

Kaneki hadn't been able to get more than a step into the building before a flyer was shoved into his face.

"Hello, hello! Welcome to the Barracks! How may I help you today?" Kaneki stared at the brightly coloured print, taken aback by the enthusiasm of the greeting. It was… an advertisement for a bar? Before he could take more than a cursory glance at it, it was smoothly swept away to reveal the speaker. Or, more accurately, her face, which was suddenly brought up close to his. "Oh, fresh meat? It's been a while!" she commented, pushing her face closer to Kaneki's. Panicking, he leaned backward, until-

"Ow…" And that was how Kaneki found himself on the ground for the fifth time within his first two hours in Gaiasphere. At this rate, by the time he logged off, he'd be black and blue. Distantly, he was aware of high-pitched cackling. Groaning, Kaneki pushed himself up onto his elbows.

Hiding her smile, Clover offered him a hand. "I'm beginning to think you need to improve your dexterity," she remarked, chuckling at his incoherent groan. Kaneki scrambled up, straightening his clothes. Turning to the woman, he found her literally doubled over in laughter. Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, she finally composed herself long enough to look Kaneki in the eye.

"Ah, it's things like these that keep me young!" Her feline tail, red as her hair, twitched in merriment as she patted him– hard – on the shoulder. "Sorry about that! I'm Circe. And you are?"

"Ka-Kafka. Nice to meet you." Kaneki winced under her (hopefully) good-natured blows. "I'm here for my first class quest? Clover told me I could get information here."

"Clover! It's been way too long. Come 'ere and give me a hug!" Circe wrapped her arms around Clover, lifting her off the floor. After a tight squeeze, she set her down, stepping back before surveying her from head to toe. "It looks like you've gotten stronger. And you're a guide now? Aw, you're growing up so fast!"

"Circe!" Clover protested, face practically glowing red. "I'm already level 19! When are you going to stop treating me like a newbie?"

"Oh, sure, you're definitely all grown up." Circe cooed, ruffling Clover's hair. "Wait 'til you get your second class, then we'll talk."

Clover puffed her cheeks out in embarrassment, enduring the barrage of questions Circe was throwing at her. Kaneki was beginning to feel oddly neglected. "Um…" he began, trying to get their attention.

Ignoring him, Circe began chattering away about a mutual friend (Corvus?) and how she hadn't seen him in so long, have you seen him around, Clover? No? He must be off grinding by himself again. How's the guild, by the way? She's been meaning to drop by for ages but between the bar and her work at the Barracks, she's been hard-pressed for time-

"Um. Excuse me?" Kaneki tried again.  
\- and honestly, the Barracks have been slowing down a lot, since most people who want to play Gaiasphere have already, so the Barracks in Reedtown is seriously deserted now, maybe she should start spending more time at Metropolis or Alexandria? Maybe she should start investigating the huge hacker incident; a lot of people are interested in th-

"EXCUSE ME."

"Hm? Oh, Kafka! Forgot about you for a second. Just catching up with lil' Clover here. You wanted information on the classes?" She smiled, tapping her chin. "It's gonna cost you!"

"Circe!" Clover elbowed her. "Don't bully Kafka. He's been having a bad day so far."

"Oh, is he? Why? I didn't think a lot of bad things can even happen between spawning and Reedtown. It is the beginner area, after all. Or one of them, anyway."

"Well, it happened in town… and it's beside the point." Kaneki tried to backtrack before his eternal hatred for the demon feline could be brought up. Too late, though, because Circe's slitted eyes had lit up with interest.

"In town? The only things in towns are NPCs and some pet mobs. Well, there are players, but it's not that crowded around here. Did you get beaten up by a NPC? Or a pet mob?"

Kaneki couldn't help flinching slightly at her words, hoping Circe hadn't noticed. Scratching his cheek awkwardly, he stammered, "Let's not talk about this-"

No such luck. With a wild twitch of her ears, she exclaimed, "You got beaten up by a pet mob?!" before falling into another fit of giggles. Sighing, Kaneki turned to Clover, before noticing she was stifling titters of her own.

"Traitor. You're dead to me," he muttered, which only sent them into another round of laughter. After an eternity, they both calmed down enough to talk again, Kaneki tapping his foot all the while.

"My sides hurt! Kafka, you're a riot!" Circe sank onto a sofa, gesturing for him to do the same. She pulled Clover onto the seat next to her, fussing with her hair.

Tentatively seating himself across from them, he grumbled, "I'm glad someone is enjoying my suffering. You just spent five minutes rolling on the floor, and I don't think it's very clean."

"It's just a virtual body, I could care less. Next time I log on, it'll be good as new. Right, where were we?"

"You were going to help Kafka with his class. For free." Clover interjected, with a stern expression.

"Stingy! Fine, it's your first night, I doubt you have anything anyway. You're off the hook, for now! I guess I should begin with the lore.

Gaiasphere is supposed to be a planet with magic flowing through its metaphorical veins. The air, the plants, pretty much everything is infused with mana, and has some inherent magical properties. Allegedly, up 'til about a hundred years ago, the world was at war. It was race against race, and the fighting was so intense the planet started to get sick. So Gaia, the goddess, manifested herself in the form of the hero, who brought an end to all that. And the races called a truce and started living more peacefully. Hence some of the older-looking NPCs are scripted to dislike you if you're of a different race, or even outright refuse to speak to you.

Basically, this continent is the old battlefield. It's called Armistice, because of that. People literally placed houses and towns where their camps were, so you can go from, say, a human town, to an elven forest by climbing a hill. It's all scattered around, split into zones, and the NPCs aren't likely to be hostile or anything. Right now, we're in Reedtown, way to the southwest, but as you head further in, the zones get larger, and the bigger cities appear. It's basically the beginner zone, and people usually hang around here until they get their second class, before heading off to another continent.

Oh, you should probably note it gets a lot harder to level after about level 30. Most players in the game are about level 30 or 40. The highest player is level 84, I think? Anyway, that's why you have to eventually switch continents, to find better exp.

You don't have to worry about that for a while yet, though! I'll just continue with the storyline. So this is a hundred years later, and people are mostly living in peace. However, there're always monsters to attack towns, cause destruction, all that stuff. Players are the metaphorical children of Gaia, who went into slumber after her stint as the hero. She grants you some access to the mana of the planet, which you can improve as you get more skilled. Different people obviously harness that power a different way, right? So, that's where you get the classes and subclasses and all that complicated stuff.

Even within classes, people tend to use their abilities and skills differently, so there are no two players that play exactly the same. Hence, the few skills Gaiasphere provides in are incredibly basic, because they're meant for you to customize and adapt to your own style of play. Passives and buffs are pretty generic though, there's not much to really change. When you start to grind up your active skills, like spells and attacks, you're going to want to go practice on a dummy or something. You have to use a skill more than once to learn it. Or if you're a really hardcore gamer, I guess you could practice skills on monsters. Some people say it feels more natural, and so it's better for unlocking skills. To each their own, I guess.

"Is your brain bleeding yet? I've been talking for quite a bit. Let's take a break, shall we?" Circe gracefully stood up, stretching her back. "Do you have any questions?"

"Um, who's the highest leveled character in the game?" Kaneki asked. "If it's really as hard as you say, how could they have gotten to level 80 when most people are level 40?"

"Oh, him? It's interesting that you've asked. Well, he's known as a genius, in Gaiasphere, if nowhere else. Rumours have it that he's associated with law enforcement IRL. His username is Arima, and some suspect that's his real name, too. It's terribly difficult to find him in-game, so most people only ever hear of him. He's a part of a guild called the Wardens." Circe ticked the facts off on her fingers, rattling them off as if she'd said them a thousand times.

"I've heard of that guild name before. I think some people were discussing about how they didn't have information on a player killer?"

"The Wardens… they're a complicated group. Basically they're an unofficial enforcement guild. Unofficial in the sense that they're not backed by Gaiasphere's staff, but they have the in-game influence of an official moderating force. They own a lot of land and provide some services for players, such as run marketplaces, open stores, organize boss-hunting parties, and the like. However, what really gives them their name is their goal to punish rule breakers and hackers. There are no real rules in Gaiasphere, but there are unwritten laws that most people would naturally follow. The Wardens go after the people who break these laws: PKs, hackers, scammers, people like that.

"Oh, and by the way, since this isn't about your class, this info _isn't_ free. Since I'm such a kind and generous person, I'll let you pay me back later. You can just owe me for now!" Winking, Circe shot him a smile that chilled him to the bone.

Looking pleadingly at Clover, all he received was an apologetic grimace and a shrug. How much was information worth in this game, and how worried should he be? The sudden gleefulness that Circe was displaying was… unsettling. Exactly how screwed was he?

"Ah, my throat is parched. Wait here while I get a drink, okay?" Circe disappeared through a door Kaneki hadn't noticed before. Actually, looking around, the room was a lot bigger than it had seemed. Between getting accosted by Circe, and her interesting, albeit lengthy, rendition of the game's lore, Kaneki hadn't gotten a proper look at the place.

It was as big as it had seemed from the outside, with grandiose banners and columns that lent an air of sophistication, not to mention the many armchairs and sofas that dotted the room. This room appeared to be nothing more than a waiting room, with only one NPC in sight. There appeared to be flyers posted on the wall near the entrance, promoting certain guilds and shops that were based in nearby towns. Kaneki also noticed several doorways leading out of the room, each decorated with banners of different colours.

Clustered around each doorway was a table and weapons on display, and posters and booklets scattered on the table. They looked like promotional or information booths of some sort, and they were nearly identical to each other, save the colour and the weapons. The chairs behind each desk were pushed back messily, as if the occupants had left in a hurry.

In all, the room gave the impression of a lively, colourful space, and it was clearly meant to be impressive as well as inclusive, especially to the new players trickling in to complete job quests. However, there was one discrepancy. The entire room, in its enormous entirety, was completely empty, besides Kaneki, Clover, and the single NPC.

"Clover? Why is this room empty?" Kaneki glanced around, suddenly noticing the overwhelming silence.

Clover hummed. "Well, there are a lot of reasons. One, it's pretty early in the day. People either aren't home yet or they just haven't gone to bed. Two, they're out doing quests and stuff. But probably this place is mostly empty because this Barracks isn't used as much anymore."

"Why isn't it used as much? Isn't this the first Barracks that people ever come to?"

"Well, yes, but most players move on really quickly because they want to play the rest of the game. Plus, there's next to no benefit to coming back to the starting area once you're over level 10. It's just too little of a challenge, so people don't come here as often."

"Is it always completely deserted, though?" If this Barracks wasn't in use, why was it so cluttered? Though NPCs tended to ignore the items players left around to enhance the realism of the game, Kaneki knew the environment would start to revert back to an unblemished state after a while. Hide had certainly complained about NPCs moving his 'hard-earned loot' because he hadn't checked back on it in a while, to which Kaneki asked why he hadn't just placed it in storage in the first place, and received the answer, "Why would I do that? It's more exciting this way!"

"Not completely deserted! There are still new players, and there will always be players who want to come and try to convert them to their class. Most people are just offline right now."

"Yeah, I guess it's pretty early to be sleeping. Why are you online, then? I mean, I'm online to test out my new VR console and Gaiasphere, but you don't really have a reason, do you?"

"Actually, I was taking an afternoon nap! After you log off, I probably will too, and then log back on at bedtime. We should probably decide on a time before you log off, so I can be online when you do your first class quests and stuff."

Kaneki checked the time in the menu. "It's 17:44," he read, "So, 5:44. My alarm is set for 6:30, and I'll probably have dinner and wash up before logging back on. Honestly, it'd be a really, really early bedtime for me if I logged on right after finishing. Is accidentally waking up too early possible? Because I don't want to randomly log out while fighting…"

"The VR console puts you to sleep until your scheduled wake-up time, so I don't think it's possible to wake up too early. You can wake up if your real body is disturbed or something, but waking up naturally is really hard, or even impossible." Clover shrugged. "I've never had that happen to me, though! I've only heard about it."

"That makes sense. I guess I could log in earlier today, then. The faster I get myself settled, the better." Kaneki considered his options. Most people would probably log on between 9:00 to 10:00 at night, but since it was Friday, people would either log in earlier to play longer, or later, after going out with friends or family. The problem was, which was it? And, for that matter, did Kaneki want to log in earlier, before the crowd, or later, so he could get the multiplayer aspect of VRMMORPGs? For that matter, how much traffic did the Gaiasphere servers even get, anyway? Would it be crowded, or had the game developers adjusted for the rise in popularity? Then again, wouldn't it better to meet more players to make the game more fun?

Was Kaneki overthinking this? Probably. Ignoring the voice in his head that told him to stop worrying and just _do it_ (Hide, shut up!), Kaneki thought about how Clover would manage to log on with him. Obviously, she would have a schedule of her own, and though she was enthusiastic about helping him, Kaneki felt guilty that she was sacrificing her time for this. He hadn't been making very rapid progress, and despite her patient assistance, he didn't want to impose. At least not more than he had already.

It'd be better if there wasn't a large gap between her normal log on time and today's. Especially since she was so young, Kaneki didn't want to disrupt her routines too much. "When do you usually log on? I mean, if you don't mind my asking."

Clover looked surprised. "Me? Um, usually I sleep at 9:00 or 9:30, but I'm fine with earlier! At least for today."

Kaneki really didn't want to force Clover into sticking with him for so long, especially because he'd probably be messing up and causing her trouble. But it was precisely that reason that he needed a guide player, and Clover was emphatic about her eagerness to help.

Slowly, he asked, "Would... 8:30 be a terrible inconvenience for you? I know it's early, but…"

"Oh! Don't worry! I can definitely meet you at 8:30! I just need to tell my mom."

"Really? I'm so sorry that you have to do this…" Kaneki felt another pang of guilt. How old was Clover, exactly? She looked young, but Kaneki had assumed it was an effect of her race. Pixies were meant to look cute and childish, right? If Clover was actually 12 or 13, was she protected from creepers or harassers? Despite Gaiasphere's high approval rating and relatively healthy community, there were always a few of those.

"Honestly, it's fine! My mom will understand." Clover reached out and squeezed his hand in reassurance. "Now that that's settled, you still haven't picked your class! We should hurry. I'll go find Circe!"

Clover scampered off, disappearing through the same door Circe had. Kaneki took the opportunity to poke around the room a little more. Picking up a pamphlet from one of the tables, he flipped it open, wondering what it was for.

It was an information packet on warriors, and their various subclasses. It was clearly player-made, and seemed to be more of an advertisement than a valid source of information. Before he could begin reading, though, he heard a crash come from outside.

Turning around, he found Clover and Circe returning from wherever they'd gone, drawn out by the loud sound. After looking out a window, Circe shrugged, and waved it off. "There's nothing special outside. Someone must've dropped their gear, or something. Why did I come out here again?"

"You have to help Kafka, remember? You left on a break and never came back." Clover nudged Circe back into her chair, nodding at her expectantly.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that, Kafka! I was just caught up in PMing someone else, you know how it is." Circe settled herself comfortably in her seat before continuing, resting her chin on her hand. "It seems that you don't have a lot of time! It's too bad, I'm an excellent storyteller."

"Circe, you aren't here to tell stories! You were supposed to just tell him about the classes so he could get started!"

"Oh, but it's more fun this way, isn't it? I'm sure Kafka would prefer to hear the lore, but I'll keep it short.

Now, where was I? Players harnessing Gaia's power? Yes, players are sent by Gaia, and are granted powers. Even before that, though, a player's natural affinity to different types of magic are determined by their chosen race. For example, Clover, as a Pixie, has a high affinity towards magic-related classes, because of the background lore that gives her a boost in her intelligence and wisdom. I, on the other hand, as a Bastet, have an edge in agility and luck. Something about cats and their nine lives, I think. You're a human, so your race is unique in the fact that they don't lean either way. It makes it a lot easier in some ways, but harder in others. You don't have to work around disadvantages, but you don't have any passives that will help you along."

"Wait," Kaneki interjected. "How about the skill 'Your Own Path'? It gives me some bonus EXP towards my class. Doesn't that count?"

"That's the one skill that humans do have. Clover, if you'd share an example with Kaneki?"

Clover nodded. "Kafka, your skill gives you a 10% boost, right? Well, for the class Shaman, Pixies have the passive 'Spirit of the Land'. It gives us +15% mana recovery rate, +5% to wisdom and intelligence, and a +10% boost to our class EXP. On top of that, because Shaman is a mage, Pixies have the skill 'Magic in Your Veins', which gives another 5%."

"Skills aren't the only thing that matter, though. You have to think about your own natural inclinations." Circe leaned her cheek on her hand. "Like I said before, Gaiasphere is a unique experience for each player. You, personally, might be suited for a certain class, even if your race isn't. That's one of the reasons why you're able to get a second class later on. It gives some measure of flexibility. Though, I suppose this doesn't really apply to you, seeing as you chose to be human."

Kaneki sighed. Despite Hide's previous teasing, he was suddenly very relieved that he had chosen to be a human, rather than anything flashier. Yes, he could admit that Circe looked very striking with the feline characteristics of a Bastet. Yes, it seemed useful to have the heightened senses of a Pixie. But was it really worth the headache that was forming, even though all he'd done was listen to the complicated mechanics of class-matching?

Circe laughed at his visible confusion. "Well, don't worry about it too much. Most of it is intuitive, after all."

"Yeah," Clover agreed. "I just picked what I liked, and it worked out just fine! Even if you do mess up your class, the roles are super broad, so it's easy to adapt to your own style. Gaiasphere wouldn't be such a popular game if it wasn't possible to play the game."

Reassured, Kaneki nodded. Settling himself more securely into his seat, he took a deep breath before saying, "Okay. I'd like to hear about the classes now."

"I thought you'd never ask," Circe drawled, smiling. "Well, I guess I should start with the basics.

Like most MMORPGs, Gaiasphere has a few core classes, with sub classes branching off as the game progresses. The class that has the most paths is, by far, the warriors. The reason why there are so many players who choose this path is because it's the most broad. In fact, many people complain it's _too_ broad. Warriors are those who take up weapons in defense of Gaia, using mana to strengthen their attacks, or even casting spells, though their specialty lies with their weapons. There are countless subclasses with warriors, so there are so many different types that it's difficult to define them beyond that.

Mages, as you may have guessed, focus primarily on magic and spells. They are born naturally gifted with mana, able to manipulate it as they wish, using it to summon the elements or inflict status effects on enemies. Most mages choose to specialize in one element or area, but there are some powerful mages that don't, also.

Healers, well, they heal. They're also called clerics or priests. Their unwavering faith in Gaia gives them the rare and coveted ability to heal themselves and others. Called on a holy mission to protect the planet, they wield divine weapons to eliminate their foes. It's a common misconception that they are weak and only good in a party, but I've seen a bishop solo a Level 50 boss, buffed to all hell. He just kept casting 'Genesis', one of the high-level skills, and the boss didn't stand a chance.

Last, but not least, the rogues. Rogues are supposed to be those who hear Gaia's call, but prefer to do their fighting from the shadows. This class extends from ninjas to bowmen, though not every rogue actually fights quietly. In fact, ninjas have some of the flashiest skills in the game. Sometimes the lore doesn't really match up with game mechanics, but the basic idea is there. Rogues tend to be light-footed and agile, though not always.

And of course, there are a lot of classes that don't fit into one main class or another, but somewhere in between. You play up to level 16 as one of the basic classes, and then you get to specify which subclass you want. However, it's just a name. You don't gain anything from specializing, and the skills you had access to before don't change. It's more of a formality.

"Well, that's the short version. There's a lot more to learn about the system, but seeing as you're so hurried, you can just figure it out as you go along. That's how a lot of people learn, anyway."

Kaneki nodded and thanked her. Somehow, even though he knew more, he didn't feel like he had the slightest clue as to what he wanted to pick. Somehow, knowing that it didn't really matter much in the end hadn't settled his nerves – he still had no preference either way.

Clover reached out and clasped his hand sympathetically. "I know it can be overwhelming at the beginning, but Gaiasphere is really fun! You'll get the hang of it."

"Thanks, Clover," Kaneki replied, somewhat weakly. "It really doesn't matter if I mess up now, huh?"

"Nope! Just go with what you want. It's usually the best way to decide."

Kaneki checked the time. It was 18:02, leaving him with about a half hour to finish up before logging off. That should be enough time to finish the first quest. But before he could go on to doing that, he had to choose a class.

Kaneki was terrible at making decisions. He was never a bold child, and the meekness that his teachers tried to coax him out of followed him into adolescence and now, into adulthood. Hide had poked and prodded him in an effort to push him into being more assertive, but it had never worked. Hide would always give up, scolding him gently about how he let people walk all over him. Kaneki, well, what could he do? It was better that someone with a strong opinion get what they wanted, since they clearly wanted it, when he didn't care much either way. It wasn't a big deal.

Except now it was. He was the only one who could choose his own class, but he hadn't the slightest clue what he wanted to be. It wasn't like Hide could show up and choose something for him, shaking his head good-naturedly. Kaneki had to choose this for himself, and if he didn't like it, or couldn't do it, it would be all on him. He didn't have any experience with games, either. Kaneki had always preferred reading to playing video games with Hide. Making a choice was growing harder and harder each passing second that Kaneki pondered. What did he even want to be?

The sudden ping of an incoming message startled Kaneki out of his thoughts. Pulling up the new message, he tried to shake off his indecision.

[From: Naga]

[To: Kafka]

[Subject: Hurry up you goof]

[Hey Kafka! God, it's so weird to type that instead of your name. Anyway, I'm guessing you're at the Barracks by now. Am I right? Of course I am. I know everything about you, including the fact that you're definitely overthinking which class you wanna pick. So, as your best friend, I'm here to tell you to STOP WORRYING. You better PM me back with the class that you picked!]

Unwittingly, Kaneki felt a small smile begin to form. Despite all their differences, Hide really knew him well. It comforted him, just a little, to have Hide's encouragement. It helped quell the anxiety, at least.

Now that he had calmed down a little, an old childhood fantasy began to tickle at the edge of his mind. It was nothing but a daydream, formed after a day at the library, flipping through the novels in the fantasy section. He'd never told anyone about it, and had forgotten it himself not long after. Well, if it was resurfacing now, he might as well follow it, right?

Kaneki took a last look at the PM before closing it. Clover was still waiting expectantly for his answer, smiling encouragingly. He might as well say it all at once, before he lost his nerve. He could do this.

"I want to be a warrior."

* * *

I'm back, and it hasn't even been a year! (Haha...)


	5. Just Stab It

"A warrior?" Clover repeated.

"No- I mean, yeah! Yes, a warrior," Kaneki blurted out. Was that a bad choice? Why wasn't Clover saying anything? Or Circe?

Actually, where was Circe? She wasn't in her chair anymore. Glancing around the room, Kaneki couldn't see a trace of her anywhere. Wait, was that the tip of a red tail behind that table?

"Ah ha! Got it!" Circe emerged triumphantly from under that table, waving a book in one hand.

Clover sighed. "Why was that even over there?" she asked.

"Who knows?" Circe shrugged as she returned to her seat, dustier than before.

"Um, what is that?" Kaneki gestured at the book. It looked like an ordinary book. A little bit worn, sure, but a regular book. It was a very deep blue, with what seemed to be its title scrawled across the cover. Was it really worth crawling on her hands and knees for? Glancing at the ground, Kaneki concluded no, nothing was worth crawling for. Traces of mud and gravel were strewn across the floor, pounded flat by the passage of feet, and was that a mouse that he just saw?

"This," Circe said, "Is the warrior's guidebook."

"What?"

"I said-"

Clover cut in. "Somehow, I don't think he's asking for you to repeat it, Circe. Just explain it, please," she requested, flashing a quick smile at Kaneki.

"Alright, fine," Circe sighed dramatically, before schooling her features into a marginally more serious expression. "It's a book with basic information on the warrior class, and some easy skills."

Kaneki screwed up his face. "I thought… you said that skills vary from person to person, right? How can there be a guidebook for a unique path?"

"Oh, there are the most basic of the basic. The basic-est," Circe waved his question off. "It's not a skill book, if that's what you're asking. It's like a manual. Full of tips and tricks for the beginner warrior! You have to figure out the actual skills for yourself." She held out the book towards him.

"Oh… Thank you," Kaneki reached for the book, only to have it dangled out of his reach.

"Nuh-uh. No freebies, remember?" Circe's lips slipped into a sly smile. "The book cost some time and money to make, you know!"

"Circe, don't bully him!" Clover, once again, leapt to Kaneki's rescue. It was getting a little weird to have a teenage girl defend him time and time again. He needed get his act together. "Besides," she continued, "Kafka doesn't have any money, remember?"

"Ugh, fine. This wasn't really worth that much anyway." She tossed the book at Kaneki, pouting at Clover.

Kaneki nearly fumbled and dropped the book. Maybe he really should increase his dexterity. He was clumsy in real life, but in Gaiasphere, too? This was getting out of hand. Flipping the book over, he traced the title with his fingertips. "Beginner's handbook," he read aloud. "Warrior edition."

"Good, you can read," Circe teased. "Anyway, it's high time you started on your epic journey. If you intend on finishing your first quest, that is."

"She's right," Clover said. "You have to log off soon, right? Quick, go talk to the NPC!"

Nodding, Kaneki stood up. Making his way to the bored looking NPC, he stepped carefully around the various pieces of equipment and stacks of miscellaneous objects scattered around the room. It was a lot messier than he'd realized. It seemed that this Barracks was typically livelier than he'd originally thought. Nearly tripping over a hidden step stool, he managed to make it over to the NPC without falling flat on his face.

Wasn't it sad that he considered that an accomplishment?

After a brief conversation with the NPC, Kaneki found himself in possession of a rusty dagger, a title, and the first in a series of quests. Choosing a class was surprisingly simple: a selection, a note in the NPC's worn book, and a slight change in his character page, and Kafka's stats window now had a shiny new 'Warrior' next to the [CLASS] category.

Making his way back to Clover, he glanced around. No, his eyes weren't deceiving him: Circe had disappeared.

Clover seemed to read his mind. "Oh, Circe left. Something came up at the bar, or something? Anyway, what's your first quest?"

"I'm supposed to kill 10 slimes outside the town," Kaneki answered. "I also got this dagger…" He pulled up the quest window, gesturing for Clover to look over.

[Class Quest – Warrior (1/5)]

[NPC: Brock]

[Details: Defeat 10 slimes in the fields outside Reedtown. 0/10 slimes defeated.]

[Reward: 20 Basic Health Potions, 300 EXP]

"Oh, that's easy. You'll easily finish it before you have to log off." Clover looked at his dagger. "It's not bad for a first weapon. It's a little rusty, but we'll get you a better one soon. You should try equipping it first."

"Right," Kaneki said. Opening his menu, he placed the dagger into his inventory, before selecting equip. The dagger reappeared, the sheath attached to his belt. "Do I have to put everything into my inventory before I equip it? That seems inefficient."

"No, you don't have to. If you open your equipment window, you can choose to equip whatever you're holding in your hands, too. And, like the rest of the commands, you can set shortcuts, but you don't have to worry about that for now," Clover explained. "It makes it less time-consuming on the field."

As they strolled towards the outskirts of town, Kaneki began to notice the shadows gradually lengthening. Looking up, he could see that the sun, which had been nearly directly overhead when he entered, had shifted slightly in the sky.

"Clover," he gestured at the sky, "Is there a day-night cycle in this game?"

Surprised at his sudden question, Clover missed a beat before answering. "You noticed? You're pretty observant! Most people don't notice until it's nearly night time. But yes, there's about a four hour day and a three hour night."

"So you'd log on for a little over a complete cycle a night," Kaneki mused. "I'm guessing there're different monsters during the night?"

"Mhm. Or just more of them. In beginner areas the difference really isn't that noticeable, though. Oh! We're here!"

The southern gate of Reedtown was almost completely deserted. It seemed to be a residential area for NPCs. There were one or two players talking to quest NPCs, but that was it.

Stepping outside of the town was a strange sensation. The ambiance of the air changed; though still not precisely threatening, Kaneki felt like he had stepped outside of a protective bubble that the town had been enveloped in. Which was accurate, he guessed.

Clover cleared her throat. "Um, this part, I can't really help you with. I'm a magic-based class, so I don't really have that much experience with close-combat fighting. It's not hard to beat slimes, don't worry! And I'll be right here." She looked down at her feet. "I just didn't think this far ahead. I mean, I'm your guide, right? I'm supposed to teach you the basics, but I don't really know what I can even teach you."

Kaneki patted her head gently. "Hey, if you're a beginner guide, and I'm a beginner player, we can just figure stuff out together, right?" He smiled at her fondly. "Besides, you managed to get Circe to tell me so much! You've already been a great help."

Clover seemed to perk up. "Thanks, Kafka. I'm really glad that you were the player that I got to guide." She scrunched up her face determinedly. "Alright! You should at least skim through the book before we head towards the slimes."

"You're probably right," Kaneki agreed. "Besides, how could I waste the book that you managed to get me for free? We're running a bit low on time, though, is that alright?"

"You have about twenty minutes, right? Killing the slimes shouldn't take more than ten minutes, even if it's your first time. I hope you're a fast reader, though!"

Laughing quietly, Kaneki took the book out from his inventory. Flipping it open, he found a table of contents on the first page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword Boring, skip this

Quick Start - Read this

Lore

Basic Skills

Skills – Actives I've already explained this!

Skills – Passives And this! (Were you listening?)

Grinding

Shortcuts

Compatibility Pretty important

Combos

Freestyling DON'T TRY THIS UNTIL YOU'RE LVL 30, I'M SERIOUS!

Go get 'em tiger! d(･∀･○)

It looked like someone (Circe) had taken the liberty of scribbling over annotating his book. (It was Circe) He wondered who this mystery book-defacer was. (It was definitely Circe.) Well, best get to it. Kaneki thumbed past the foreword – wow, it really was long, what the heck was in it? – stopping at chapter two, 'Quick Start'.

Feeling pressed for time, Kaneki skimmed the text quickly. Equipping? He had his trusty dagger, sheathed at his hip, ready to go. Potions? He checked his inventory, and as expected, his potions sat there, untouched. Equipment? He had nothing but the clothes on his back. Rather sad, now that he thought about it.

All in-game poverty aside, he was ready. The book offered very little in terms of actual combat advice (unless you counted 'Stab the monster, step back and dodge. Repeat.' as legitimate advice), but he imagined that no game developer would put a hard-to-beat monster in the first map. Last time he checked, the creators weren't sadistic, and the players weren't closet masochists. Not most of them, anyway.

With a good luck cheer from Clover, Kaneki strode cautiously into the high grasses of the meadow. He tensed, waiting for something to jump out at him, startle him, make him fall over – anything. When five seconds had passed, and nothing of note occurred, he let out a shaky breath. He could do this. He, Kaneki Ken, could do this. He took another step forward.

Was the ground supposed to make a squelching sound?

A bright number flashed in front of him. Two? What did that mean? Kaneki gaped at the number dumbly, thrown off by its sudden appearance. He stood there for exactly four seconds before the ground began to ripple beneath his feet. Predictably losing his balance, he toppled to the ground.

_Again_? He needed those dexterity points badly. Muttering underneath his breath, he scrambled back to his feet, knife out. There, where he had been trying to step, a green … _blob_ was bouncing angrily. Kaneki had no idea how he could recognize its ire, considering it had no facial features to speak of, but it was angry, all right. (The rage was probably justified. Kaneki would've been at least a little peeved if someone just stepped on him.)

He had a monster in front of him. He had a rusty blade in his hand. Now what?

The slime lunged at him. Out of sheer instinct, he sidestepped, bringing his knife upward to shield his body. As it so happened, he grazed the slime as it leapt past, slicing open a large gash on its side. Putting some more distance between them, Kaneki watched as the health bar above its head dropped substantially, and another bright number zipped up. He could do this, he chanted mentally. He was a third of the way there already!

A few awkward cycles of circling around the slime and dodging its attacks later, Kaneki was rewarded with the sight of his quest marker's counter ticking from 0 to [1/10 slimes defeated.] One down, nine to go. Hopefully he wouldn't take too long in finishing up. He'd get the hang of this, for sure!

Sure enough, he grew more adept at avoiding the slimes, keeping a watchful eye on their movements. He'd been bold enough to initiate the attack a couple times, but mostly, he just slashed at them as they bounced past. The few times he'd been unlucky enough to be hit, the slimes did barely more than one damage. His HP regen, as low as it was on humans, had patched that up easily.

Triumphant, he returned to Clover. She seemed to be chatting with one of her guildmates, so as he waited for her to finish the conversation, he took the time to examine his drops. Apparently he'd set his pickup to automatic, so his inventory had automatically picked up all the spoils from the slimes he killed, but not the extra equipment that randomly dropped from mobs. He could venture back into the field to gather them, but he'd rather not. (Slimes were everywhere. Everywhere. He could do without the squishy feeling of stepping on them, thank you very much.)

Well, he had ten bottles of questionable green slime, two balls of congealed slime, and a measly 12 gold. Better than what he started out with, at least. He could probably sell the loot to a NPC for a few gold, maybe more, if he managed to barter properly. He glanced at his knife forlornly. Looks like he'd be stuck with it for at least a few more hours. While it wasn't exactly _bad_, it didn't leave a lot of room to work with. The blade was barely fifteen centimetres long, and though it was serviceable enough, he was eager for a longer – or at least rust-free – blade.

Just as he was considering retrieving the equipment he'd missed, slimes be damned, Clover noticed him waiting and quickly said her good byes. Closing his inventory, Kaneki met her questioning glance with a triumphant smile. Bringing up his quest window, he presented it to her with a flourish.

[Class Quest – Warrior (1/5)]

[NPC: Brock]

[Details: Defeat 10 slimes in the fields outside Reedtown. 10/10 slimes defeated.]

[Reward: 20 Basic Health Potions, 300 EXP]

[Quest complete! Return to starting NPC.]

Clover beamed. "I knew you could do it! Just in time, too," She glanced at her menu. "But only if we start going back now. You might log out in the middle of the street if we don't hurry." She hopped down from her perch on the rock and started off in the direction of the Barracks.

Kaneki fell into step next to Clover. "Log out in the street? Is that a problem?"

"Mhm! You see, when you log out, your avatar doesn't despawn. It basically goes unconscious, but it's still there. If another player finds your logged-out avatar, they can loot you, just like if you die in-game. If you're not careful, the next time you log on, you'll wake up penniless."

"So I'm guessing there are inns, or tents, or something like that?"

"Yup. Every town has an inn, and you can buy single-use tents from NPCs. Obviously, both cost some gold, but it's a small price to pay for safety. Rooms and tents are safe zones. Another player can't go inside unless you invite them in, and they're indestructible."

Kaneki nodded. The creators of Gaiasphere had really put a lot of thought into making the game realistic. It didn't really make sense to have players be invulnerable when they were asleep. They chose to play with that, making players at their weakest when they were logged out, imitating life – well, he could see why the game development took almost a decade. The amount of detail in this game was insane.

Caught up in his thoughts, Kaneki nearly stumbled into Clover, not realizing she'd stopped. Managing to sidestep in the nick of time, he threw a quizzical glance at her, wondering why she'd just stopped in her tracks.

Clover was staring intently at the crowd of players that were milling about in the main square of Reedtown. She seemed to spot something, and turned quickly to Kaneki. "I'm really sorry, but I have to run. You know the rest of the way to the Barracks, right? I'll meet you there after you log back on!"

Before Kaneki could so much as blink, Clover had taken off, disappearing into the crowd. What just happened? Scanning the faces of the players around him, he confirmed that Clover had, in fact, vanished. What now?

The loud chime of a notification startled Kaneki back into action. He glanced to left, where an alert was flashing urgently.

[Warning: 10 minutes until scheduled alarm.]

Ten minutes? He had to hurry! Kaneki looked around frantically, trying to remember the way back to the Barracks. That road looked familiar, maybe it was that way? Or, wait, no, that one looked like the one he and Clover had taken. But wasn't that tree with the knotted bark the one he had noticed earlier? Why did the paths all look the same all of a sudden? The Barracks were to the north, right? Which way was north again? If only he had a map –

Wait. He _did_ have a map. He flicked open his menu, holding his breath. Character, Stats, Inventory… There! The map! He hurriedly opened it, praying that it recorded buildings, not just roads. The map popped up, and Kaneki quickly panned to the northern side of town, eyes searching for the Barracks. Wait, it wasn't there? He let out an inward wail of anguish. No, wait, he just scrolled too much! It was there!

Kaneki heaved a sigh of relief. Thank god it was there – what would he have done if it wasn't? He tapped on its symbol on the map experimentally, wondering what would happen.

[Location selected: The Barracks (Reedtown). Enable navigation?]

[ Yes / No ]

His eyes widened. There was even a navigation system? That was useful, especially for new players (or people without a sense of direction). He selected yes, watching as his route was input. The ground beneath him was suddenly superimposed with bold white lines, outlining the roads he had to take. Closing his map, he immediately began heading towards the Barracks. There was no time to waste – he had less than ten minutes!

He arrived, slightly out of breath, at the Barracks without much incident, thankfully. Dashing inside, he nodded his way past the dialogue, narrowly avoiding the 'Would you like me to repeat what I just said?' trap. Should he get the next quest while he was here? A quick glance at the countdown to his left answered him: no, no time. He immediately headed towards the main square again, retracing his footsteps.

Three minutes! He sprinted, nearly bowling a few players over. Tossing an apology over his shoulder, he redoubled his efforts. Alright, he was at the main square. Where was the inn? He scanned the buildings around him, looking for any distinctive features. When he spotted the sloping roof of the town inn, he nearly went weak with relief. If the square wasn't as empty as it was, Kaneki had no doubt he would have trampled, or been trampled by, a dozen people.

Two minutes left, and Kaneki ran over to the innkeeper, speeding through the dialogue as fast as he could. One minute! He practically threw five gold at the NPC, before turning on his heel and running up the stairs. Room 216, room 216, where was room 216?

Yanking open the door, he slid the lock home and dove for the bed. Scarcely a second later, Kaneki was blinking awake, back in his silent apartment. The only sound was the quiet humming of the VRC, and even that died down as the console turned off.

Kaneki sucked in a breath, releasing it shakily. He lifted his arm to cover his eyes, having forgotten about the headset he was wearing. He rested his arm against the curved surface of the VRC anyway. The console was slightly warm to the touch, he noticed. Kaneki idly ran his fingers along its ridges, probing around the front visor of the console, feeling it begin to slowly cool down. He sighed. Now that he'd calmed down a little, why did he try so hard to make it to the inn, anyway? He had barely any gold, and even if someone did mess with him, he'd logged barely two hours of game time. He could've earned that back, easily.

Well, death counts were permanent, yes, (he'd heard Hide bemoan that fact far too many times) but Kaneki wasn't one to care about having a perfect record. Well, he just panicked, he supposed. After all, Clover had left so suddenly…

Where did Clover go, anyway? Did she see something? Maybe someone she knew? But couldn't she have just told him, instead of blurting out that she needed to leave? They'd been walking companionably just a few moments prior, but she'd seemed hurried. Kaneki shook his head lightly. In the end, it wasn't really any of his business. Everything had worked out fine in the end, so perhaps it was better not to dwell on it. He'd managed to figure out the map and navigation system, so at least he'd gotten _something_ out of his mindless panic.

He reached for the VRC, easing it off his head. Placing it on the bed, he made sure there was no way it could fall before sliding off his mattress. After a dizzying few seconds where his blood rushed from his head, Kaneki stretched, working out the stiffness of his limbs. It felt strange; even though intellectually, he knew that he hadn't really been moving around, instinctively, he still felt out of sorts, thrown off the mismatch of his body and mind. Good thing he didn't choose an avatar of a different race – if he was so disorientated now, how would he have reacted to the transition then? He vaguely remembered Hide mentioning something like this months ago, back when he had started playing, but all he'd done at the time was roll his eyes and tell him to stop playing so many games.

Kaneki sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, just to provide some background noise. He stared idly at the moving images on the screen, lost in his thoughts. In about two hours, he'd managed to make a friend, get attacked by a cat, choose a class (after endless deliberation), and fight faceless green blobs. (Sure, slimes were an age-old staple of MMORPGs. Of course, their designs were time-tested and respected. No, that did not mean Kaneki found them appealing. They were just green …_things_. It was such lazy design! Good thing they were rarely seen outside of beginner areas, or Kaneki wouldn't have played Gaiasphere, Rize or not. There were some things you just couldn't ignore.) It was a lot to process.

Maybe it was because Kaneki had never been one for video games, but Gaiasphere really was an experience nothing like Kaneki had ever experienced. Of course, he hadn't expected to be tripping over his own feet half the time (Seriously, what was with that? Sure, Kaneki fumbled a few catches here and there, dropped a couple things, maybe clipped the odd wall, but actually finding himself sprawled over the ground every fifteen minutes was just outrageous. The taste of dirt got old, real fast.), but the rest of it?

Kaneki couldn't understand what was going through the developers' minds when they decided to make Gaiasphere free. There weren't any 'extra' items you could buy to modify your appearance or give you a boost, no exclusive content available only to VIPs, not even ads. Besides buying the console itself, Gaiasphere was completely, one hundred percent fee. Kaneki just couldn't wrap his head around it. Usually, he'd suspect a scam, or some sort of experiment, but there were fifteen million players, and no one could scam fifteen million people, all in one go. (Not to mention the creators of the VRC – Gaiasphere was in the safety manual. The _safety manual_.)

Glancing at the clock, he decided it was time to start making dinner, or he'd end up being late meeting Clover. Opening the fridge, he found nothing but juice. He was supposed to go grocery shopping today, wasn't he? He groaned. Looks like it was convenience store food tonight. He had been too caught up in thoughts about the VRC, too excited about maybe gaining a common interest with Rize to remember mundane things like feeding himself.

"Honestly," he muttered to himself. He'd left his aunt's care over a year ago; had been living alone for even longer. How could he forget something as simple as buying food?

Maybe he could invite Hide to Big Girl? He was craving hamburgers, now that he thought about it. He reached for his phone, about to text Hide, before aborting the movement halfway. Right, wasn't Hide in-game right now? He was online when Kaneki was, after all, and Kaneki knew how… _obsessed_ Hide got with something once he got started. No way around it, then. It was going to be a cheap bento for dinner.

If he didn't have to prepare dinner, Kaneki could stay home for a bit longer before heading out. Maybe he should get started with his homework, though it wasn't due for another week. He could read Takatsuki Sen's new novel, but he didn't think he could settle down to read it properly right now. He'd have to reread it later, so it would just be a wasted effort on his part.

That led him back to where he was now, with no clue what to do. Kaneki turned his attention to the television. It was some broadcast about hackers, hackers in games specifically. When the topic turned to Gaiasphere, as it inevitably did when video games were in question, the corners of Kaneki's mouth twitched amusedly. He'd never really noticed just how big Gaiasphere was. He was trying to take a break from playing, yet here it was, on the news. He half-listened to the reporter, noting that he'd heard most of it from Clover earlier. Even the authorities had no more idea than the rumour mill, he thought. Those hackers must be good at covering their tracks.

He may as well give up ignoring Gaiasphere, Kaneki thought. It seemed like some higher power was steering him towards it, even as he tried to turn away. He'd be playing it again in another hour and a half, but he simply couldn't stop thinking about it.

Kaneki ran a hand across his face. Gaiasphere… was not entirely as he'd expected. Yes, he had known what it was about, known about the monsters, the players, the quests. But he hadn't expected the way it drew him in, made him want to play more. He hadn't expected the connection to other people to feel so real. He hadn't expected it to be so_ fun_.

He could hear Hide's teasing '_I told you so_'.

(Shut up, Hide.)

* * *

Okay so I have no excuse for how late this was.. sorry

Please review so I can remember the existence of my own fanfic (you think I'm joking? I'm really not) plus I'll love you forever


End file.
